February 20, 2018, New video message from al-Qā’idah’s Dr. Ayman al-Ẓawāhirī

February 20, 2018, New video message from al-Qā’idah’s Dr. Ayman al-Ẓawāhirī: “Oh Our Brothers in al-Shām, Reconcile What Is Between Yourselves”

In the name Allah the Most Merciful and Compassionate
“Oh Our Brothers in ash Sham – Reconcile What Is Between Yourselves”
Sheikh Ayman az Zawahiri
Oh Muslim brothers everywhere, may Allah’s peace and mercy and blessings be upon you
Thereafter
I address this speech of mine to our people and our brothers in ash Sham the land of ar Ribat and
jihad, in the midst of these bloody epic battles, and the raging war, and the burning lava, which
greatly pours upon them, from the fanatical Christian American-Russian alliance.
And I say to you: I hope you accept my brief speech from a brother to you, a Muslim who is tied to
you in the brotherhood of Islam, without regard to any organizational gathering.
My dear brothers, verily this fierce war and severe hardship, which you are passing through, it is
imperative upon you and upon us to resort to pray to Allah alone to provide for us a way out, as the
Almighty said: (And how many a prophet with him fought many religious scholars, but they never
lost assurance because of what afflicted them for the sake of Allah, nor did they become weak or
submit. Verily Allah loves the steadfast. (146) And their words were not but that they said ‘Our Lord
forgive us of our sins and the excess from our affairs and firmly plant our feet and grant us victory
over the disbelievers.’ (147) So Allah gave them the reward of this world and the good reward of the
Afterlife, and Allah loves the ones who do good.)
And may our Lord with His honour answer our prayer, and grant for us His victory, as our Lord,
glorified and exalted is He, said to His prophet, may prayer and peace be upon him: (Oh you who
have believed remember the favour of Allah upon you when armies came to attack you and we sent
to them a wind and armies which you did not see. And verily, Allah is All-Seeing.(9) When they came
to you from above and below you and when eyes moved (in fear) and hearts jumped into throats
and you assumed assumptions about Allah) And also what He, glorified and exalted is He, said to
him: (And remember when you were only a few and oppressed in the land and fearing that people
might kidnap you, but He sheltered you and supported you with His victory and provided you with
good tidings, so that you might be thankful.)
My Muslim and mujahidin brothers in ash Sham: I myself recommend to you two things and they are
the introduction of victory, Allah permitting, and they both adhere to our creed (aqidah), and to
insist on a firm determination not to retreat, do not give up the empowerment of administering
Islam and Sharia in ash Sham, and do not transcend reference (Murja’iya), and do not compete with
the authority.
The second: To unite and agree and gather and merge and cooperate and stack together as one rank
and this is the basis of victory and salvation, Allah permitting, and bury the reasons of disagreement,
and gather everyone, to ascertain for you the words of truth of the Almighty: (And obey Allah and
His prophet and do not dispute and lose courage because your strength would depart), and the word
of the Almighty: (And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together)
Do not make yourselves a game in the hands of the so-called supporters, and they seek to make you
a tool to achieve their ambitions or the ambitions of those who assist them, but united and come
together, may Allah grant you sustenance from where you do not count.
The other thing which I would like to warn our brothers and our people in ash Sham about is that
their battle is serious in its impact, but also serious in its language, and it is the battle of the heart of
the Islamic and Arabic world, and it is a battle on the outskirts of Jerusalem (Bayt al Maqdis), and do
not expect it to be anything but a long and cruel battle, the mujahidin must be patient with it, and
do not rush for results, and do not cling to the ground, but all their concern is to weaken the enemy,
so that he is exhausted by the multiplicity of strikes and the long attacks and the continuation of
battles and bleeding of losses.
Settle yourselves into it being a battle which may last for many years and perhaps decades, and so
you need unity with your brothers in ash Sham and in other lands of Islam, and to transform the
issue of ash Sham to an issue of the entire Ummah, and if you unite then you will enter exhilaration,
and you will renew the hope in the hearts of your Ummah, which will gather around you to support
you and help you and provide for you, Allah permitting. And fear Allah and reconcile what is
between yourselves.
Oh Allah support the Muslims in ash Sham, and unite their word, and heal between their hearts, and
unite their ranks, and bring down for us and for them your victory and your conquest and your
support.
And our last prayer is praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds, and Allah’s prayer be upon our
Master Muhammad and upon his family and his companions. And may Allah’s peace and mercy and
blessings be upon you